Change-making machine



Sept. 9, 1930. c. E. CHALMERS CHANGE MAKING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 31, 1923 A TTO RNE Y5 Patented Sept. 9, 1930 PATENT. OFFICE crimes E. CHALMERS, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

CHANGE-MAKING MACHINE Application filed. January 31, 1923, Serial No. 616,204. Renewed January '22, 1930.

In my copending application Serial No. 589,7 55 filed September 22, 1922, I have illustrated, described and claimed an improved change making machine more particularly designed and constructed to be used on street cars or similar vehicles where a fare is charged, which machine is under the sole control of the motorman. However, that machine is not limited to such use, but may be readily employed in other relations where a change making machine is desirable or necessary. Gne of the more important objects of that invention is to provide an improved change making machine of compact form and simple construction which is not only adapted to receive the exact fare but likewise adapted to return the necessary change whenever the passenger deposits a coin'therein of a denomination higher than the price of the fare. In that application I have illustrated and described a chute for receiving the deposited coins, said chute being equipped with means for normally arresting the coin as it passes into the coin chute to enable it to be inspected. This coin arresting means, as will be apparent from a cursory examination of that application, is normally operative to prevent the coin from traveling beyond a certain point within the chute and is so related to the chute that the coin may be readily removed'in case it is found to be spurious. If the coin is genuine the coin arresting means is actuated to render the latter inoperative to enable the coin to continue its travel: until it arrives at a certain position in the machine so as to enable the latter to be operated through the intermediary of said coin. For more detailed description of that machine reference is hereby made to said application. The present invention is an improvement upon that feature of my copending application above referred to relating to the coin arresting mechanism and has to do chiefly with m mechanism for enabling spurious coins or slugs to be readily detected and ejected from the machine. In connection with the ejecting instrumentalities mechanism is employed for registering the number of coins ejected from the machine. It has been found that where slugs are deposited they are invariably of a size corresponding more or less to the size of standard coins. In the device illustrated I have therefore shown mechanism which enables the operator to eject slugs of a size more or less equivalent to the size of 50, 25, 5 and 10 cent pieces and counters are so arranged. as to indicate, or rather register, the sizes and number of the slugs rejected. One of thedistinguishing features of the invention of the present application over the device of my copending application is the fact that once the coin is deposited in the chute it cannot be removed except by mechanical means employed for that purpose.

Further objects, advantages and features of construction of my present invention will more fully appear from detailed description below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment and in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of my invention showing enough of the mechanism of my said copending applicationas to illustrate the application of my present improvements thereto.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectiontaken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 3.3 of Figure 1.

Figure a is a view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the movable parts of Figure 3 in a different. position.

Referring to the drawing in detail, reference numeral 8 designates the casing, 9 the cover, and 10 the main operating shaft of a change making machine provided with a suitable crank 11 for manually actuating the same. Upon the shaft 10 adjacent tothe crank 11 is a gear 12 which meshes with a rack 13 connected to one end of a crosshead 14. The other end of the crosshead is provided with a rack 15 actuated by a gear train 16 including a gear mounted upon the shaft 10 at the end opposite to the end upon which the crank 11 is mounted. The construction and arrangement of the aforesaid gear 12 and of the aforesaid gear train 16 is such as to impart a longitudinal movement of the racks 13 and 15 at the same speed. It may be briefly stated that the function of the mechanism just described including the crosshea-d 14 is for the purpose of actuating the change return mechainsm proximate a change return passageway 35 through the intermediary of the coin deposited. This change return mechanism is not essential to the present invention and is therefore only briefly shown, but the same is fully illustrated, describedand claimed in my copending application above referred to.

Reference numerals17 and 18 designate the side walls of the machine and the reference numerals 19 and 20, the front wall of said casing. These walls 19 and 20 are so constructed and inter-related as to provide a vertical coin chute passage 21 through which the coin travels to a position to enable it to be rejected if upon inspection it turns out to be spurious or a slug. This vertical coin chute 21 is defined by two guide members, 22 and 23, and connecting with this chute 21 is a guide chute 24 illustrated in the present embodiment of the invention as being located in the closure 9. The passages 21 and 24 constitute a coin reception chute leading into the machine. After the coin is deposited in the chute 24 it drops to the position indicated by reference numeral 25, it being understood that the walls 22 and 23 are spaced suficiently from each other to enable a coin of maximum size to pass freely therethrough to said position indicated by reference numeral 25. In this position the coin deposited rests upon plate or arresting means 26 mounted to rotate about the pivot 27 as an axis. This plate 26 is furthermore inclined and defines a substantially horizontal coin inspection space under the chute 21 as clearly indicated in Fig. 1, so that the coinwill normally assume the said position indicated by the reference numeral 25 against a spurious coin ejector plunger 40.

The wall 20 is provided with a bevelled perforation to receive av suitable transparent member 28 which is correspondingly bevelled to snugly fit therein. Any suitable means may be employed for maintaining this transparent member in position after being fitted in said perforation. The journal 29 of the plate 26 is equipped with a downwardly projecting member 30. Projecting laterally from the rack bar 15 is a stud 31 so constructed and arranged that when an inward movement is imparted through the crank 11, to the main operating shaft 10, the gear 12, and gear train 16 aforesaid, the stud 31 will engage with a member 32 pivoted to the extension 30 and impart a slight rotation to the plate 26 The extension 30 is provided with a stud 33 and the member 32 is equipped with a lug 34 normally engaging said stud 33. It will therefore be seen, from a casual inspection of Figs. 3 and 4, that upon the inward movement of the rack 15 the plate 26 will be rotated to the position clearly indicated in Fig. 4, but it will be understood that after the lug 31 passes the pivoted member 32, the arresting plate 26 is free to return to its normal position by any suitable means, such as a spring not illustrated. As will be clearly apparent from an inspection of Figs. 3 and 4, the lug 31 and rack 15 are freeto return to their normal position without actuating the plate 26. In other words, upon the return of the lug 31 to normal position, the pivoted member 32 is cammed out of the path of said lug.

Assuming that the coin deposited into the chute is genuine, then a rotation of the plate 26 about its pivot 27 as an axis, will enable said coin to. continue its travel down the change return passageway 35. If it is a 50 piece it will lodge at the position indicated by thereference numeral 36. If it is a 25 piece, a 5epiece or a 10 piece, it will be lodged in said passage 35 at the positions indicated by the reference numerals 37, 38 and 39 respectively.

If, however, the coin is spurious, the conductor or operator imparts a longitudinal movement to theejector 40, thus moving the spurious coin to the position indicated by the reference numerals 41, 42, 43 and 44, depending upon whether or not it is respectively a spurious 50, 25, 5c or a 10 piece. If it is a 50 slug piece it will first engage with the arm 45 of a counter 46 and be arrested in its movement by a stop 47. If it is a 25 piece it will clear the 45 and stop 47 and engage with an arm 43 of a counter 49 and be arrested in its further movement by stop 50. If the coin is a 5c piece it will clear the stops 4-7 and 50 and engage with an arm 51 of a counter 52 impinging against a stop 53. If the coin is a 10 piece it will clear the arms 45, 48 and 51 and also clear the stops 47, 50 and 53 and engage with and actuate the arm 54 of a counter 55 and impinge against the abutment 56 which arrests its further movement.- The spurious coins in these positions are each prevented from returning to the position indicated by the reference numeral 25 by virtue of the fact that the arms of the counters respectively engage with the periphery of the coins, thereby holding them in the positions indicated by the reference numerals 41, 42, 43, 44. If, now, plate 26 is moved about the pivot 27 as an axis the particular coin or slug will be deposited in the return or rejection chute 57 from whence it passes into the rejected coin box 58.

The coin rejection chute 57 and operative change return passageway 35 are about parallel and their upper open ends or mouths connect with the coin inspection space above the tilting arrester plate 26 which bridges over and closes the passageway mouths 35 and 37 until such time as the operator actuates the crank 11 to tilt the plate26 and selectively dump thecoins into the chute 57 or passageway 35 according to whether or not he uses the plunger 40 to move the coins or slugs up over the mouth of the chute 57.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have devised an improvement in change making machines which is simple in construction and operation, easy to manipulate and not liable to get out of order. The device illus trated and described herein is merely the preferred embodiment of my invention, and it is to be expressly understood that I do not limit myself thereto as many changes may be made in points of detail and other embodiments resorted to without deviating from the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

1. A change making machine comprising a coin inspection space and a reception chute leading thereto, a rejection passage and a change return passage leading from the inspection space, a coin arrester covering the rejection and change return passages, a counter, means to advance the coin from inspection position into engagement with the counter lever, said lever retaining the coin in advanced position, and means to displace the arrester and drop the coins into one of the passages.

2. A change making machine comprising a coin inspection space and a reception chute leading thereto, a rejection passage and a change return passage leading from the inspection space, a coin arrester covering the rejection and change return passages, a plu rality of counters having their levers in alignment and positioned so as to be operated by one size of coin, means to advance the coin from inspection position into engagement with its counter lever, said lever retaining the coin in advanced position, and means to displace the arrester and drop the coins into one of the passages.

3. A change making machine comprising a coin chute, a rejection passage and a change return passage, a coin arrester covering the passages, a counter having an operating lever, means to advance the coin from the coin arresting position into engagement with the counter lever, said lever retaining the coin in advanced position, and means to displace the arrester and drop the coin into one of the passages.

4. A change making machine comprising a coin chute, a rejection passage and a change return passage, a coin arrester covering the passages and forming a runway along which the coins roll, a plurality of counters, operating levers upon each counter positioned above the coin arrester for engagement with one size of coin, a stop adjacent each lever to engage coins of predetermined size and to permit passage of coins of smaller size underneath the stop, and means to displace the arrester and drop the coin into one of the passages.

5. A change making machine for coins of different denominations comprising a passage along which the coins are rolled on edge, a plurality of counters, operating levers upon said counters projecting into the passage, each lever being positioned to engage coins of predetermined size and to pass coins of smaller size without engagement with the lever, a stop adjacent each counter lever positioned to engage coins of predetermined size and to permit the passage of coins of smaller size along the passage, and means to dis charge the coins from said passage.

6. A change making machine for coins of different denominations comprising a passage along which the coins are rolled on edge, a plurality of counters, operating levers upon said counters projecting into the passage, each lever being positioned to engage coins of predetermined size and to pass coins of smaller size without engagement with the lever, a stop adjacent each counter lever positioned to engage coins of predetermined size and to permit the passage of coins of smaller size along the passage, means to propel coins along the passage and means to discharge the coins from said passage.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 26 day of January, 1923.

CHARLES E. CHALMER$. 

